This is how today's Apple TV remote looks. It's sleek and
minimalist, but its reliance on buttons goes against Apple's
trend toward trackpads and touch screens.

And here is a touch pad on the newest MacBook.

In addition to a touch pad to control the internet video box, the
new remote is also going to be thicker than its current
iteration. It will apparently be similar in size to the remote
for the Amazon Echo wireless speaker.

For reference, here's a YouTube reviewer holding up the Amazon
Echo remote (on the left).

A YouTube reviewer holds
up the Amazon Echo remote (on the left).Qbking77/YouTube

At Apple's internal training course "Apple University," the
Google TV remote is reportedly compared with the Apple TV remote
as a case study. It is used "to show how the company's product
designers started out with an idea and debated until they had
just what was needed for the device to be usable and easy to
understand,"
The Times reports.